EMPLOYEE OF THE SOUTHERN MOTOR COMMISSIONERS OFFICE ARRESTED FOR FRAUD

An employee of the office of the Southern Commissioner of Motor Vehicles has been taken into custody by the Galle Police for defrauding Rs. 443,176 by issuing revenue licences deviating from the established issuing procedure thereby incurring a loss to the department.

The suspect arrested, a resident of Hikkaduwa has been identified as a cashier who served at the counter of the office of the Provincial Commissioner of Motor Vehicles located in Dickson Road, Galle and had been arrested on a complaint made to the Galle Police by the Southern Province Commissioner of Motor Vehicles Rasika Upendra Iddamalgoda Dissanayake. It has been stated in the complaint that the suspect had committed this offence during the period August 2018 to September 2019.

Sources revealed that an owner of a van who had called over at the office to obtain a revenue licence had been asked to pay a fine of Rs 5,040 as the previous year’s licence had not been obtained. The owner of the van had readily paid this fine and later complained to the commissioner in writing regarding this matter.

During the investigations it has been uncovered that records has

Examination of data of the period August 2018 to September 2019 revealed that the suspect who had been manning the said cash counter had committed this fraud

not been made in the relevant revenue licence register with regard to the 2019/2020 licences issued, further verification of the computer records revealed that when issuing the revenue licence for the years 2019/2020 an additional amount of Rs 5,040 had been recovered.

These details had then been referred to the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka located in Narahenpita. Examination of data of the period August 2018 to September 2019 revealed that the suspect who had been manning the said cash counter had committed this fraud. The Commissioner on being informed of this fraudulent act had brought this to the notice of the Police. The ASP of Galle Dulshan Nagahawatte led the investigations and together with a team of police officers, the suspect had been arrested.

The suspect was to be produced before the Galle Magistrate.